Jon Sullivan<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://cloudisland.nz/@dubh" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>dubh</span></a></span> When it's done right, people can make a huge difference to NZ's environment by spotting emergent weeds as they're beginning to establish. </p><p>My favourite recent example is Dave Holland's discovery in 2020 of wild black swallow-wort on the edge of the Timaru Botanic Gardens. That was the first wild record of the species anywhere in NZ, and it's a wetland weed overseas. Timaru Council and Environment Canterbury staff stepped in with control, over several years, and now it's gone.</p><p>That's one environmental weed nipped in the bud before it could get started.</p><p><a href="https://inaturalist.nz/observations/65849739" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">inaturalist.nz/observations/65</span><span class="invisible">849739</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/weeds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>weeds</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/BiologicalInvasions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BiologicalInvasions</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/InvasivePlants" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>InvasivePlants</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/eradication" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eradication</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/ParticipatoryScience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ParticipatoryScience</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.nz/tags/WeedSurveillance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeedSurveillance</span></a></p>